Fashionomics

"Create your own visual style... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others."

-Orson Welles

In this economy I have had to cut back on my spending considerably, so everything I’m wearing was either on sale, from a thrift store, or just a really great deal. Part of the reason vintage fashion is so "cool" and trendy right now is because people can afford it; thus, we have the “Vintage Thrift Store Trend,” as I like to call it. There is, however, irony in the fact that fashionable people are able to remain fashion forward by wearing old clothes.

Right now the United States is experiencing an economic recession not dissimilar to that of the 1980’s; and a country’s financial state of affairs is largely responsible for the art that is born out of an era. President Ronald Regan’s agenda sought to minimize government involvement where big business was concerned, to cut taxes, to eliminate government regulations, and to increase military spending… Sound familiar? No wonder we’re seeing so much 80’s and military fashion.

I just got this adorable little Alice and Olivia cropped jacket. Obviously inspired by Balmain's fall/winter collection. I got it at Saks the other day.
I love vintage pins. I wear them on all of my jackets because I think they have an old world feel to them. I got this one at an Antique fair, but I have no idea where it came from, which is unusual for me because I always want to know the history of my vintage purchases. How could I not take it home with me though, for $5?
I go through so many phases of wearing belts. I either wear them every day, or not at all for long periods of time. I have six of these now in my collection and they're all made by a local San Diego artist. She takes apart old jewelry and uses the material to make vintage belt buckles. This one is turquoise and Burmese jade.

I always crack up when my boyfriend takes pictures of me because he says things like "Pretend you're a sportscaster!"

Claudia Ciuti is another one of my favorite shoe designers. I got these black embroidered patent leather ankle boots about 3 years ago and I have to say that I don't wear them nearly often enough. Needless to say I fell in love with them all over again during my little photo shoot.

Sales

"I don't do fashion, I am fashion."

-Coco Chanel

I went down to Fashion Valley the other day because there are so many great sales right now. I found a Michael Kors Jacket for my dad, for Father's Day for $50. Plus, a pair of jeans, two polo shirts, and another jacket all for $120! In this economy many of the major retailers have had to mark down their merchandise so much that even some of the most expensive designer labels are affordable to the average consumer.

I love this silk top by Nanette Lepore. I think her pieces are so unique and feminine. It's from her spring 2008 collection. Also carrying my red patent leather Trina Turk bag.
Henri Bendel is one of my favorite stores to go in because there is so much eye candy. It's very New York, so I'm not sure its quirky nature is fully appreciated in California, but the merchandising and branding of this company is genius.
Even their bag's bags are enticing. Classic stripes.

I think this little Henri Bendel doll is adorable, so I decided to make her pose with my new purse. This bag actually isn't very me, which is why I like it. Notice how her eye shadow matches the lime green trim on my purse?

Alexander McQueen peep toe clog stilettos. Aren't they yummy? A great investment because these will never go out of style.

L.A. Woman

"If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere."

-Vincent Van Gogh

When I woke up this morning I walked out onto my balcony and saw the most beautifully bloomed magnolia flower. As I stared at its newly opened white petals I began to contemplate the notion of new beginnings because I am on the verge of one. Just like the magnolia flower I too have waited all year to blossom and now I think I'm ready to unfold.

Teddy and I have been talking about moving to Los Angeles for the past year, so we decided to take a trip up there this weekend to check out some neighborhoods. Unfortunately we left too late in the day so we sat in traffic for nearly four hours, but as soon as we arrived I knew the trip was worth it... We were home.

I wait all year for the magnolia flowers in my yard to bloom. I think they are exquisite and by far my favorite flower.
I fell in love with the half-sphere lounge chairs at the Standard Hotel. I told Teddy that as soon as we move we have invest in one of these!
I could have sat here all day!
Matt and Teddy being goofballs out by the pool. Matt is a fantastic comedy writer, so he and Teddy discussed some future collaboration work.

I told Matt that I'm interested in starting a hilarious web comic about fashion, so he gave me this comic book. I haven't read it yet, but I did flip through it, and the pictures provide for some great eye candy.

Fashion at the Fair

"Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it."

-Confucius

I went to the Del Mar fair today and had a blast looking at all the people. I've been going there since I was little, but I'm always amazed at how many different types of people the fair attracts. I think it's a beautiful thing when so many people, of all different ethnicities, religious backgrounds, and political views join together, in one arena, to eat funnel cake... Just kidding. But seriously, I really had a lot of fun people watching today. I hope you enjoy my pictures.

I'm wearing one of my favorite summer tops by Manoush. If you haven't already heard of it, it's a french line and one of my absolute favorites. Their stuff is so unique and it's hard to find. I got mine at a boutique in Del Mar, CA called Matti. D. Also wearing my favorite Genetic Denim jeans that I got at Free People with a vintage pearl necklace.

Most of the booths at the fair are far from fashionable, so I zeroed in on the one vintage collector there. The hats are cute, but not my style.

I saw these girls when I got off a death defying ride on "The Zipper." I thought they looked so stylish for being at the fair that I asked to take their picture. So, thank you girls for obliging me :)
I absolutely love Native American culture and art. The painting is called Indian Girl and the artist is Yen-Ping Miao. Don't you just love her outfit?
My favorite part of the fair is walking through the art galleries and seeing all of the collector's ancient treasures. I am in love with this Mystical Medicine Pouch... probably because it has fringe. Mystical Medicine Pouches have been used in Native American cultures for hundreds, or even thousands of years to attract good luck, good fortune, prosperity, and better health.

Shoes and Xander

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson


I worked on an inspiration board today and must have cut out a hundred pairs of shoes.  

Sometimes I find myself day-dreaming about them; shoe designs by Pierre Hardy, 
Christian Louboutin, and Giuseppe Zanotti swirl through my head. So, I decided

to create a real, visual representation of what it would look like if you took a walk inside my brain. In addition to the amalgamation of shoe cut outs, I created a space for pictures
taken by some of the most prominent fashion bloggers like Tommy Ton from Jak and Jil, AltamiraNYC, and Super.Fantastic.Picture Time.

I must have used about 100 push pins! This is the most involved inspiration/mood board I've ever made. My Harper's Bazaar Trash & Luxury T-shirt seemed appropriate for the task at hand... flip flip flip, cut cut cut, pin pin pin!

Meet Xander! Hard at work trying to help me figure out which images I should use. He's definitely pointing to the Elle Collections Fall/Winter 2009 edition. When I make inspiration boards I like to use magazines from various different seasons because I don't like getting caught up in trends.

I think it's hilarious how serious my face can get when I'm looking at fashion magazines. If you didn't know better, you might mistake me for an incredibly stylish rocket scientist... ;)

And Voila, here it is! Since I recently started this blog I wanted to create something that reflects what I'm doing right now... Blogging. In the middle, there are a bunch of photographs taken by fashion bloggers who were featured in Elle and Harper's Bazaar. So, I decided to work them and some of their pictures into my amalgamation of shoe cut-outs.

May Gray June Gloom

"Fashion anticipates, and elegance is a state of mind... a mirror of the time in which we live, a translation of the future, and should never be static."

-Oleg Cassini

I'm at a transitional point in my life right now, perhaps even a pivotal one. At the beginning of the year I left my job to do freelance styling

and jewelry design. As it turns out, I also have a passion for photography, so I've been trying to blog as much as possible because I feel so far

behind. I read an article in Elle Collections a couple months ago called "Street Style At The Shows," which inspired me to want to start my

own blog. It featured interviews with Tommy Ton of JakandJil.com, Peter Miszuk of Super.Fantastic.Picture.Time.com, Craig Arend of

AltamiraNYC.blogspot.com, and Garance Dore of GaranceDore.FR/EN. The start of any large endeavor can be daunting, so I'm trying not to

get overwhelmed with how little material I have so far.

This is a pair of Isabella Fiore wedges that I modified. I wore them today, but they were hidden under my wide-leg trouser Hudson jeans, so I decided to take a picture of them so they didn't feel completely unnoticed. When I bought them they were sans flower. I took the flowers off of a wreath that wraps around my bed's headboard and glued them on my shoes. Pretty cute don't you think?
I had a lot of fun playing with my grandpa's old ties today. A couple of years ago he let me go through his closet and take all the vintage ties I wanted. I wore this one with a gray, oversized Talula jersey shirt and wide-leg trouser jeans from Hudson. If you haven't already heard of Talula, it's an Australian line that has some really unique pieces at reasonable prices. I highly recommend checking them out. My purse is by a line called Posse and I love it because I love just about anything with fringe. When I set it down it kind of looks like one of those shaggy dogs whose face you can't see.
Everyone is always shocked when it's cloudy during the spring/summer in southern California because every other part of the year is sunny. Typical May Gray-June Gloom.

Isn't my owl ring cute? It's by a jewelry line called Azaara, which is out of L.A., but it's all made in Turkey. I am absolutely in love with everything owl. I think it's my spirit animal. Also wearing my favorite Dolce an Gabbana sunglasses that I've had forever.

Spring Cleaning 2010

"Our incomes are like our shoes; if too small, they gall and pinch us; but if too large, they cause us to stumble and trip."

-John Locke

I decided to have a little fashion show in my bedroom with my shoes today. I was actually going throfugh my closet trying to figure out what I need to get rid of, which naturally turned into a game of dress up.

Elisa Ferare is one of my favorite designers because her shoes are like works of art for the feet. These "Flower Power" wedges are from her Spring 09 collection, but I'm still in love with them because they are classic and comfortable. I also love her philosophy:

"My designs are created with the same philosophy that permeates my life... blending the old with the new, the textured with the smooth, fantasy with reality. I believe in no suffering for fashion...I abhor trends... it is with pride that I say my designs are brought to life in America by a small group of artisans who love their craft. I invite you to enjoy the shoes...but keep in mind they long to stray."

Here I am again doting on my Vera Wang wedges- Definitely not getting rid of these any time soon. To my right are the world's most amazing cowboy boots! They are Pink Old Gringos and I will never, ever get rid of them... So far I'm not doing a very good job at cleaning out my closet.
Ok, DEFINITELY not getting rid of these! I am so in love with my over-the-knee Joie boots, I could never bring myself to part with them.
See what I mean? They are even better on! What I love most about them is how supple the leather is... The leatha is like butta!
Alright, let's just take a minute here because these are my favorite shoes of all time! I got them when I was in Las Vegas a couple years ago at one of those stores in Ceasar's Palace, and they are by Italian designer, Johnny Montini. I haven't been able to find much of his work elsewhere but I think they carry some of his shoes at Neiman Marcus. I have worn them to death- with just about everything in my closet, and now I think it's time for them to retire, or to at least pay a visit to the cobbler.

Holy Wedges

If the shoe fits, you're not allowing for growth.

-Robert N. Coons

I decided to name my blog “holyheels” because to me they are. My mother is always telling people how, when I was 4, she would take me to Nordstrom and I would try on every pair of shoes they had in my size and then end up getting the first pair I tried on.

I saw these Vera Wang wedges the second I stepped off the escalator in Nordstrom and it was love at first sight. I decided not to try them on though because I was in a hurry to find a gift for someone else. Then, two days later I couldn’t stop thinking about them so I decided to go back to Nordstrom and try them on, and to my dismay they were already off the floor! I KNEW IT!!! So I found a sales associate and frantically explained to him that I had been in two days prior and I desperately needed him to find a pair of Rosalyn-White Vera Wang wedges in an 8. He did, and they're my new favorite shoes.

I just quit smoking, so I asked my boyfriend to take a picture of me throwing away my last pack of cigarettes... And I just happen to be wearing my new Vera Wang wedges while doing so ;)